Till the End of the Line
by starrylester
Summary: After something horrible occurs to Phil's best friend, the once cheerful teenager is now solemn and broken until he meets another person who is in a similar situation. Together, these two combine worlds and create a universe together that is greater than they have ever imagined. Walk along the path of this amazing duo and experience how these two met and influenced the world!
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1**

"Simon!" Phil's voice echoed through the hallway. No response. Phil furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and walked to his friend's bedroom.

"Hello? Are you there?" Phil said, poking his head through the door. His eyes fell upon a figure covered in bedsheets. Phil grinned, then pulled the covers off, succeeding with a couple of tugs.

"Who's that...?" a voice, heavy with sleep muttered.

"Get up, sleepyhead, it's time to go to school," Phil declared, nudging his friend. When he saw that that didn't work Phil thought for a minute. Then he had an idea.

"OH MY GOD SIMON WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. After Phil's sudden yelp Simon fell off his bed.

"What?!" Simon said, shocked. "Oh geez, I've got to get ready!" He dashed past Phil who was giggling uncontrollably.

Simon came back with a toast forced into his mouth and all dressed for school. "Okay I'm ready, let's go." Phil leaned against the wall, a smirk plastered on his face.

"What're you on about, Phil?" Simon asked as he packed his bag.

"I just did that so you would wake up. Now hurry before I leave you here," Phil told him, flashing an innocent smile.

Phil held the door out for Simon as the two boys departed from their small dormitory. Simon walked aside Phil, breathing in the sweet, cold scent of the morning.

It didn't take them long to arrive to school in less than 10 minutes. Simon and Phil walked up the stone steps and entered the hallway.

"Were you up last night?" Phil asked. Simon stared at the ground. "Well yeah, I was just finishing up my History project." Simon looked at Phil only to see a cloud of worry shrouding his blue eyes. "It's nothing," Simon smiled. Finally, Phil looked away.

The two stopped at an intersection in the hallway, and Simon and Phil fist bumped each other, something that had felt like tradition by now. "See you at break, buddy," Simon told Phil, who replied, "You too, Simon." With one last glance at each other, they both turned and walked their separate ways. Phil walked silently but briskly to his locker, and dialed his combination like he had done for 2 years already.

"Uhm, excuse me," a voice suddenly entered the silence, and Phil turned to see a boy with a brown fringe and a nice set of brown eyes. He was wearing a black t-shirt along with black jeans and a black backpack to match. Wow, in this hot weather, Phil was surprised that this guy could live under the heat.

"Aren't you hot in that?" Phil asked him.

"Of course I am," he replied with a grin.

"No, I don't mean it in _that_ way," Phil laughed, "Today's weather is supposed to be really warm." The brown haired guy shrugged. "I never cared about the temperature outside," he said. "Regardless if it's cold or hot I always wear black." Phil stared at him, awestruck. This guy had really, really pretty eyes. They had a soft shimmer to them and had a nice, bronze brown color.

"Anyway," he said, interrupting Phil's mind process, "I need to find my locker. Do you know where number 347 is?"

"Actually, my locker number is 348. You're right next to me," Phil replied. "Oh, that's even better," the brown-eyed teen said, relieved. "I don't have to walk another freaking mile." He swooped in right next to Phil and dialed his combination.

"So, I'm guessing you're new here?" Phil asked. The guy chuckled. "No, I'm just changing lockers because my past one was next to this group of people, and they kept on stealing stuff from me." Phil's eyes widened. "Oh, it's okay now," he said casually. "They weren't important, really." There was a mirror fixed into his locker wall and he adjusted his brown fringe. "I've got to go now," he said as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Ah, wait!" Phil instinctively grabbed his sleeve. "I never got your name."

"Dan."

And with that, Phil watched Dan walk away.

Phil was walking back home, hearing only the distant noises that his shoes made as they scraped the floor. Wind brushed his hair and a few hair strands fell over his eyes so he reached out and swept it away carelessly. It was only until Phil's phone ringed and on the screen it read, 'Simon'.

He pushed the green button to accept the call with his thumb. "Hello?" he called out when he pressed the cold screen on his right ear.

"Hey, buddy, how you doing?" Simon's deep voice answered. Phil smiled. "I'm great, thanks," he replied. "What's up?"

"The sky."

"No, Simon, I'm serious, where are you?"

"I stopped at a small shopping place to get some food. I was just wondering if you wanted anything from here." There was a short silence before Phil responded.

"It doesn't matter, really," Phil said at last.

"Oh really? Okay, I'll just get you a sandwich completely lathered in cheese. Bye now-"

"Simon, I swear if you-"

"Okay, okay! You better not toilet paper my room again! It took me such a long time to get it all off...there's actually still bits of paper under my bed where you taped it. Thanks, Philip," Simon said.

"Bye, sucker, " Phil laughed, then placed his thumb over the red button to leave the call.

"Love you too," Simon replied as he hung up.

Phil had at last reached the steps of his and Simon's dormitory. "I'm home," he called out to nobody in particular, and got into his pajamas. He snuggled against the couch and turned on the TV, thus sitting back and pulling out his phone. He sat there for a while, checking his social medias, and waited until he finally heard the ring of the doorbell.

"Coming!" Phil called out, then scrambled to the door.

Simon was at the door, carrying two plastic bags and a wide smile on his face.

"Hey," Phil replied. Simon frowned. "Are you just gonna stand there?" he asked. "I'm freezing!"

Phil chuckled, then let Simon in, closing and locking the door behind him.

The two boys gathered on the couch and took their sandwiches, Phil opening his first. He gasped as his sandwich had a _lot_ of cheese in it. "Simon!" he said, turning to give him a death glare, but only to see Simon laughing his head off. "Y-your face was priceless!" Simon wheezed. "I purposely switched our names on the bags!" When Phil had crossed his arms, astonished he had fallen for something so simple, Simon said in a pouty tone," You're so _gullible_ , Philly." He gave Phil his bag and took the sandwich with cheese, biting immediately into it and sighing with content. Phil started to bite his and the two continued eating whilst watching their favorite show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was until then that they were to go sleep for the night, and Phil fist bumped Simon as they went inside their rooms.

"See you tomorrow, mate." Phil smiled broadly as the two best friends gazed at each other.

"See you," Simon returned the smile, but not fully as he turned and entered his room, closing the door. Phil frowned. Was Simon okay? Shrugging, Phil assumed that he was just tired from waking up early. After all, he had a project he worked on the night before and he needed his rest. Phil closed his bedroom door and tucked himself into the bedsheets, which were blissfully nice and warm. It didn't take too long for Phil to go to sleep, his thoughts resting on Simon and his worries fading away.

* * *

The next day, sunlight coming from Phil's blindfolds hit his eyes, and he stirred. As he sat up rubbing his eyes, he yawned and knocked on Simon's door. No answer. Phil decided to let himself in and check to see if Simon was just sleeping deeply. He saw the familiar shape of Simon cradled in his bedsheets, and Phil reached out to shake his arm.

But there was nothing.

Phil blinked in surprise. He let his hand drift through Simon's bed, but there was no one under the covers. Phil finally pulled back the sheets. There was no Simon, only pillows tucked under the bed to look like a person was sleeping under it. Panic flooded Phil's eyes.

"Simon?" Phil called out. "Simon, where are you?" He rushed down the stairs, hoping desperately that Simon was just there happily munching on his cereal. But there was no one to be found.

"Simon!" Phil yelled, terror setting in. He ran back up the stairs to his room. "I need to find him...!" Phil muttered as he dressed for school. Phil was about to walk out when he spotted something that he was certain was not there before. A note.

Phil, relief washing over him like a wave, took the note and opened it. It was definitely from Simon.

 _Dear Phil,_

 _Hi. It's Simon. Right now you're sleeping and I'm up late typing this to you. You must be very worried when you wake up tomorrow, not finding me. Well, it's pretty awkward having to explain something that's gonna happen in the future. By the time you read this I would probably have wrote this by now. But as of right now, I'm writing in the present. Isn't that weird?_

 _Anyway. I wish I could tell you all this, hoping you'd understand, but I realize now there's definitely no way that you can be okay with me disappearing mysteriously. I've been trying very hard to hint at you and hopefully give the situation to you piece by piece, but I'm going to have to tell you whether you like it or not._

 _Philip Michael Lester. You changed me ever since we met. When I was breaking and under the influence of drugs, you were my light in my darkness. To be figurative you were the best drug that I've ever taken. You saved me. And I want to just say thanks. Thank you for being there when no one else was. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for being my best friend._

 _The thing that I'm getting at is, although you've tried very hard to keep me happy the darkness is still there. Believe me, Phil, please...I tried to avoid it but it kept coming back. The effects of your drug were long lasting...but now the effects are starting to wear off. My addiction...it's just horrible. That night, Phil, when I was working on my project? It wasn't a project. I snuck out and my addiction took over me. It's been happening frequently now...I don't know why it came back when I was totally fine for 2 years. So...I thought that I was just a burden to you. That I'll always be under your care, that you'll have to worry about someone like me. And I thought, I'm not worth your effort. I'm sorry Phil, I really am. You've been such a great friend to me, and I really thank you for what you've been doing, but I think enough is enough._

 _Phil, I'm in too deep in the darkness that theres no escape. And before I do this, I ask you to help save everyone else that is about to fall into the dark hole of darkness. Save them with your kindness and happiness...make sure that no one else will fall as deep as I did. Don't be sad, Phil. All the good times are sacred to me and I will treasure these memories forever and ever. Please understand. For my sake Phil...A world influenced under you will be the best world to live in. Goodbye Phil. I'm with you to the end of the line._

 _From your best friend, Simon_

Phil didn't know what to think. Was this a joke?

This was all true and Simon would never go that far to do a joke. Phil slunk onto his bed, his legs weak with numbness.

What was this feeling of emptiness? He was sobbing. His mouth was parted in shock and his eyes were filled with sorrow. His tears were overflowing and seeped through his clothes, the coldness chilling his skin. Phil would have loved to wipe it away, but he let it be. He tried to stifle a wail, but it was no use. Phil started to shake, and he gripped his arms to control himself. He bent over, his knees against his chest, and buried his head inside his chest, allowing new tears soak his jeans.

 _Why would Simon do this? What happened?_ Phil mentally hit himself for not paying attention to Simon's activity. Why didn't he notice? He could've known...

Phil, having sniffed a couple of times, weakly walked over to his desk and obtained his laptop, searching desperately for a source of reassurance. He sat in his desk chair, opened his laptop and scrolled to his saved files. There, a video clip of Simon and him was there. This was recorded pretty recently, maybe around three weeks ago. Watching this now felt like it happened years ago.

The laptop lit up with a screen of Simon and Phil facing the camera, and smiling happily. They were positioned in front of a piano, and the camera captured their faces.

"Okay, you start," Simon's voice said, and the Phil in the video nodded, a little nervous.

"Uh, hi, this is Phil-"

"Phil, that's not how you start a good introduction," Simon laughed.

Phil, obviously stung by this, punched Simon in his arm, making Simon cower with pain, and Phil burst out laughing at him. "OW!" he yelled, but cheerfully as he nudged Phil for another attempt.

"Hey guys!" Phil started. "I'm Phil-"

"-and I'm Simon!" Simon finished, waving briefly.

"This is a song we've been working on together," Phil said. "And here's the final piece, I guess."

The two boys positioned their fingers onto the keys, and they looked at each other. "Ready?" Simon asked Phil.

"Yes," the Phil from the video and the Phil from reality replied, a small smile feigning in his lips now. The two boys, unable to hear Phil's additional response, gathered closer to each other and started playing their song, which was split into two parts. Phil took the left side of the screen, and Simon took the right. For a few minutes, Phil looked at the video, sick with nostalgic, and shut his eyes. He let himself submerge into the music, letting himself alone in his mind and shutting down the world around him. He started to not think about Simon anymore, and it almost felt like a dream.

Phil chuckled at himself. Maybe it was better to spend the rest of his life here, where everything was peaceful and quiet. Nothing but calmness remained here. The terror of the real world felt all cast aside; here, Phil felt happier.

But it wasn't home.

Sadness instantly washed over Phil; a moment ago he rejoiced in his quiet place, but now, reality came back. And whether Phil liked it or not, he had to deal with it, he had to.

For Simon's sake.

And with that, Phil left for school alone.

* * *

Phil had reached the all too familiar steps of his school. Seeing everyone casually continuing their lives just felt wrong. Phil wanted to scream. He wanted everyone to know what it was like to lose a best friend...and how it hurt so much.

He was just dialing his combination silently when someone stepped beside Phil.

"Hey."

Phil looked up. "Dan," he murmured. Despite all the hell Phil was going through, he felt a nice, warm feeling of friendliness when Dan was around. He continued to look at Phil, a worried expression displayed on his face.

"So," he began. "You weren't here this morning."

Phil bit his lip. "Yeah." Dan's eyes softened. "Are you okay?"

Turning away, Phil started to walk away from Dan. He didn't feel like Dan would understand.

Unsure of where he was going, Phil found himself walking to a quiet place where no one could find him. Some people might go looking for him, he realized. _But that doesn't matter anymore,_ Phil then thought. _No one cares._ Phil sat on a bench and stared at the freshly cut grass, watching two squirrels race each other up a tree.

Phil spent the rest of his break in the place. He rather enjoyed it, since it was so hidden and obscured from view. He decided that this'll be the place he'll spend time in. This place was the only time where Phil was alone with his thoughts. He sighed as the bell rang, and got up to go to his next class.

After school ended, Phil almost practically ran to his now favorite spot in the entire world. He needed some time to think since he was so distracted all day. He swept through crowds of students, muttering a quick apology after accidentally hitting a boy's shoulder, and pulled open the doors to the place only to see the last person he would have wanted to see.

It was Dan. He was holding a notebook, a pencil in his left hand, and a thoughtful expression clouding his face. Phil turned away to open the doors and exit, desperately hoping he wasn't noticed, but it was too late.

"Phil?" Dan asked, surprised. Phil turned around. "Uh, hey," he said flatly. Dan closed his notebook, marking a place in it and met Phil's gaze. For a moment, they just stared at each other, and Phil felt a small fire of hope burning inside him.

"You can sit down, you know," Dan said at last, scooting aside so that Phil could sit. Just then, Phil sat, almost immediately that Dan jumped back. "Um, okay, go ahead and get comfortable I guess." Every moment that followed afterward was scrutinizing for Phil; he didn't know what to say.

"So, what brings you here?" Dan finally spoke. Phil stared at his shoes. "It's nothing, really." Then Dan scoffed.

"Nothing? People usually go here when something's on their minds. _Especially_ when something's troubling them."

Phil crossed his arms. "Well, why are _you_ here, then?" he asked Dan. He could feel Phil's eyes piercing his soul.

"I come here everyday, mind you." Dan placed his hand on his notebook, which laid beside him.

Phil couldn't stop himself. "What's in it?"

"When people have something that's troubling for them, many do a lot of unheard things." When Dan saw Phil's confused expression, he said, "Some get angry with life. Others go to someone to talk about it, or they talk it out with themselves. In my case, I like to keep my train of thought in a notebook."

Dan looked up at the sky. "I've been here since I came to this school. I had only a couple of friends, but in the end, they turned out they were just using me."

Phil looked at Dan, feeling remorse. "It must've been tough," he said.

Dan shrugged. "I'm used to it," he replied. "This is where I have hung out in the meantime. Everything is just so quiet here, and you-"

"-Can be alone with your thoughts," Dan and Phil finished together. Dan smiled, and Phil smiled too.

"Looks like we have something in common," Dan said. Phil chuckled.

"Agreed."

"I never got to fully introduce myself," Phil realized out loud.

"I think I know so much about you and we haven't fully introduced each other," Dan nodded, laughing.

"Whatever," Phil smiled. "I'm Phil Lester. Nice to meet you."

Phil held out his hand and Dan gladly shook it.

"I'm Dan. Dan Howell."

And it must've been the nice weather, or perfect timing, or just good luck, but little did they know that life was going to go completely sideways with these two.

* * *

 **A/N: Aand that's it for now! I hope you're enjoying this as of now, the next chapter will be up very soon :). dont forget to share your thoughts on this!**

 **see you on the next one! -starrylester**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ever since Dan and Phil properly met the two were seen together often. They would wait for each other when class was dismissed and meet at what was now known as their 'hangout'. Luckily no one else came there so they had everything to themselves.

"It's another nice warm day," Dan remarked whilst opening his sandwich bag.

Phil wiped the sweat on his face with his arm, sighing, and Dan bit into his lunch, munching silently.

"What class did you have last again?"

"PE," Phil gasped. He was still catching his breath from the mile that he ran.

"Oh, no wonder," Dan replied, impressed that he did physical activity. "Did you make it?"

"Of course I did. During the last ten seconds." Dan laughed, and Phil smiled. He adored his laugh; it was a fun, contagious laugh that made the atmosphere happier.

"You know, you deserve to have friends." Phil told him. "You're a really nice guy to talk to. I mean, you're the perfect person to talk to about games and TV shows."

"Maybe it's because I always look sad. Or depressing." Dan gazed at a faraway object. "I could tell why. But it's probably because I'm just that antisocial." Phil didn't reply. Instead he looked at his new friend with astonishment.

"And you can live with that?"

"Phil, in this world, people interact with others differently. And I don't do that at all because I dislike socializing with others. That way, people can stay out of your problems and you can stay out of theirs."

"I never thought of it that way," Phil said, deep in thought. Just then, Phil's thoughts were interrupted as the bell rang and it was time for the boys to head back to their classes.

"Bye, Dan," Phil called out as they walked away from each other.

"Meet me after school!" Dan yelled as he walked out the door.

Phil was about to ask where, but stopped himself. Maybe there was a telepathic connection between them, but Phil just _knew_ where to go. Shrugging, he left to go to class, the feeling of excitement burning within him.

* * *

The last bell of the day blared, and Phil once more sprinted to the meeting place. When he entered though, there was no sign of Dan. Phil, confused, walked back outside and randomly headed right only to hear the faint sound of a familiar voice.

 _Dan._

Phil walked briskly to the direction of where he had heard Dan's voice and found himself walking toward a cherry blossom tree that was well hidden from the bushes and pretty flowers that surrounded it. He then spotted Dan and had the instinct to call out his name, but stopped as he saw that Dan was facing someone else...a girl. She had long, curly hair, a load of mascara on her eyelashes that Phil could see from where he was standing, as well as a nervous look on her face. She had looked like she put a lot of effort into making herself stand out. And Phil, not knowing what to do, snuck behind a bush that gave a clear view to Dan and the girl. It was so large and obscured that they didn't know Phil was even there.

"Uh, yes?" Dan asked the girl, a little awkwardly. "Did you need something?"

The girl wiped her palms on her skirt, which were sweating. From where Phil was, he could see that there were probably a good five layers of lipstick smeared on her lips.

"Uhm, Dan," the girl started, "do you remember me?" Phil watched, confused.

Dan smiled nervously, making the girl's eyes shine. "Uh," Dan said, "Yeah, I do. Teresa, right?" The girl's eyes shone even more, and Phil was feeling sick.

Teresa bit her lip. "Dan, there's something I had wanted to tell you for a while." The leaves rustled and a slow, careful wind started to bring cherry blossoms falling gracefully to the floor. Teresa took a deep breath and inhaled. Phil held his breath. _What was going to happen?_

"DAN, I'VE LOVED YOU EVER SINCE I LAID MY EYES ON YOU." Teresa was practically yelling at Dan, who stepped back. "PLEASE, CAN YOU GO OUT WITH-"

Teresa was never able to finish, because just then, Phil arose out of his hiding place, pretending to have accidentally walked in on them.

"Dan?" Phil tried his best to be surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Teresa, overwhelmed that two very good looking boys were right in front of her, gave one last dreamy look and dashed off. Dan had an astonished expression as well, but afterwards snapped out of his trance and patted Phil on the back.

"Thanks for that one, Phil. How did you know I was here?"

Phil looked at Dan. "I didn't," Phil lied. "Good timing, I guess." Then, he smirked. "I didn't know you were so popular with the girls."

"Shut up," Dan told him as Phil laughed. "It's been happening here and there. They whisper to each other as I walk the halls, and they always _giggle_." Dan cast a worried glance at Phil. "That's another reason why I stay alone," Dan said. "All the girls are after me."

Phil shrugged. "I'm not surprised," he said. "You _are_ pretty good-looking." At this statement, Dan blushed. "W-Was that meant to be a compliment?"

Phil decided not to answer. An awkward silence drifted between them until Phil cleared his throat and fixed his backpack, which was slung over his shoulder.

"Do you have any plans?" he asked, hoping that Dan would say no.

"Not really," he replied, and Phil erupted with joy. "You wanna come over to my dormitory?" Phil asked. "Why not?" Dan said, then grinned.

"Let's go then," Phil let Dan to join his side and the two strolled down to Phil's dormitory.

Phil took out his key and unlocked the door, thus releasing a sense of reassurance that he was back home after such a long day. Dan, having politely laid his shoes by the door, stepped in and looked around the place.

"I'll go make some tea," Phil said as he headed to the kitchen. "You can go ahead and put your things up in my room." Dan muttered his thanks and heaved his bag up the stairs. He had come across a hallway and spotted something unusual; instead of one room, there were two.

"I didn't know Phil had a roommate," Dan wondered aloud. He tried to look back and recall anyone that was mentioned with his conversations with Phil, but he had no luck. Dan went ahead and entered the room that had Phil's name on it.

After he had placed his bag next to Phil's bed he paused, examining his room. It was clean, but Dan could tell Phil was pretty busy: a few pencils lay on his desk from doing homework, the trash can was filled to the brim with tissues, and Phil's laptop lay open. Dan sighed, unsure of what to do when he noticed himself turning on the laptop and seeing a video of Phil and another boy that Dan didn't recognize. His mind suddenly filled with curiosity, Dan opened the video and started to play it.

Dan watched as the boy and Phil talked and played the piano. Phil was joking, teasing and laughing...Dan had never seen Phil this happy before. When the video finally came to a close Dan sat back in the chair, appalled. _So there_ was _a person living here with Phil,_ he thought.

But where was he now?

Dan ran this question over and over in his mind, and his eyes widened. He closed the laptop just as Phil walked in, carrying two teacups and softly humming.

"There you are," he said and handed Dan's tea over to him. Dan stayed unusually still, taking his cup listlessly.

"Are you alright?" Phil was waving his hand to get his attention.

"What? O-oh, yeah." Dan cradled his cup in his slightly trembling hands, hesitating. "I saw-"

"You know Dan, you shouldn't space out like that," Phil said. "One time I did that exact same thing and..." Phil had trailed off with another of his fascinating stories and Dan stayed where he was, helpless.

"Oh, sorry. What were you going to say?" Phil had noticed the look on Dan's face.

"I...wasn't going to say anything," Dan said quickly and smiled. Phil then proceeded his story and Dan bit his lip, thinking if he had made the right decision.

The two started on their homework, occasionally helping the other out and taking short breaks before resuming their work. it had started to get late and Dan, who was finishing up his essay, realized what time it was.

"Oh, crap...!" Dan cursed under his breath. Phil looked up from his assignment. "It's really late, I should get going..." Dan had reached towards his schoolbag to stash away his things, but Phil caught it just in time so that his grip was fastened on Dan's arm.

"It's too dark outside," Phil said. Dan stood, worried. "But how am I supposed to get home?" he asked. "There's some things I need to check on."

Phil grinned. "You don't have to go home! Just stay here for the night." Dan's face turned slightly pink. "You're too kind," Dan flustered, "I just couldn't-"

"Shut up and get dressed, will you?" And without giving Dan a chance to reply, looked down and wrote something down on his paper. At this point, Dan was at a trance because he couldn't believe what had just happened. Him...sleeping over at Phil's dormitory?

"Uh...alright," Dan said in a defeated tone, and started to head over to the restroom. "Oh, wait," Phil called. "You can borrow these clothes for the night." He threw them over to Dan, who caught them.

After Dan had changed, he exited out of the restroom to see the table that they were working on all cleared up, and Phil, who had also changed. He was wearing a dark green shirt and plaid red pajama pants.

"Oh, I cleared all your things up," Phil explained. "You can sleep over in the next room." Phil turned around and started to arrange his things. Dan bit his lip. This was the right time to ask. "Was there someone who...lived with you?" Dan asked, carefully choosing his words. Phil stopped. "Yeah." Dan clenched his fists. "Where are they?"

Phil sighed. "He's on vacation."

"Is he coming back soon?" Dan's heart was racing. Phil turned around and smiled. "Of course," he said. "I'm sure that he'll be back soon." Just then, Dan swore that he saw a flash of sorrow across Phil's face. But just as he had noticed it the look disappeared.

"Goodnight Dan," Phil said dismissively. Dan backed out the door. "Goodnight. And thanks for everything." He closed the door and headed to the deserted room next door. There was no door sign so Dan couldn't distinguish what Phil's old roommate's name was. Dan hesitantly got into the bed covers, the thought filling his mind that this was invading someone's place. He laid back, thinking about the events that just occurred and what information he'd learned. Phil said that he was on vacation, but Dan was unconvinced.

 _We all have our secrets,_ Dan said in his mind. The thoughts of Phil drifted away and Dan slept.

* * *

It was midnight. Dan was still asleep and wiped the sweat on his eyebrow, clearly dreaming. _Take care of him for me,_ the voice of a somewhat familiar person echoed throughout Dan's mind.

"I will," Dan muttered, then became silent once more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Dan opened his eyes. Drowsy with sleep, he unlocked his phone to silence it and yawned, then remembered at once everything that occurred to him. He had slept over at Phil's for the night, and learned that he had lived with someone else before...

Dan pushed away the thought and got dressed. It didn't help to think about it. He headed downstairs and spotted his pale-skinned friend stirring a cup of hot, steaming coffee.

"Morning," Dan announced his arrival. Phil glanced at Dan and sunk into his chair. "Morning," Phil replied, sipping his cup of coffee. "Do you want some?"

"Sure." Dan sat down on one of the two chairs surrounding the coffee table. Phil passed him a mug and Dan made himself his coffee. "Did you sleep well?" Phil asked. Dan looked up at Phil's face and stared. His jet black hair was not kept and his eyes were puffy and red.

Dan's face went numb, a mixture of concern and guilt clouding it. He was clearly crying about last night, but he didn't want to confirm this. His mind flooded with worry, but he had an idea.

"You should get ready," Dan said as he sipped his coffee. He felt the steam tickle his lips as he waited for Phil to say something.

Phil closed hid eyes, too tired to function. "Why should I?" he mumbled lazily. Dan grinned.

"Because if you do, I'll buy you a doughnut." The following seconds after Dan had said these words contained Phil rising from his chair with superhuman strength and dashing to his room.

"You have thirty seconds!" Dan called, smiling as he disappeared.

* * *

The two friends headed to their classes once they arrived at school. Phil's eyes were no longer red and Dan sighed with relief as Phil bit happily into the doughnut that Dan got him.

"You were a _mess_!" Dan wheezed from laughing too much.

"That's because you started counting down _really_ fast, and I only got one shoe on!" Phil countered, trying to look innocent. Dan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever," he grinned as the two strolled down the hallway together.

"Hey Dan," Phil pointed towards a sign on the wall. Dan, having accidentally walked ahead, stepped back and looked over Phil's shoulder. The sign read: "Video Editing Club Meeting will be at Room 35 on Wednesday the 18th! Make sure to sign up!" Dan noticed the look on Phil's face, which was lit up with happiness.

"Dan, Dan!" Phil grabbed Dan's shirt, tugging it. "Let's do it together!" Dan stared back, appalled. "But Phil, you know I'm not good at that kind of stuff-" Dan tried to say, but Phil already wrote their names down on the list posted next to the sign. "You need to try new things, Daniel!" Phil heard no reply. "You can't stay antisocial _forever,"_ Phil added.

Dan paused. Just thinking about it, maybe it wasn't that bad.

Phil had taken two application papers. "So the meeting's just gonna be next week. You _are_ free by that time, right?" Phil saw a look of worry flash Dan's face. Phil glanced at Dan, ashamed. "I kinda pushed you there...you don't have to join if you don't want to, I can remove our names if you want-"

"Of course I'll join," he replied. "It's okay." With this, Phil broke into a smile. "Really?" Dan thought for a second. "Phil, stop worrying and just give me the damn paper." Phil laughed and hugged Dan. "Thank you so much!"

The friends said their goodbyes and entered their classes. Dan took his usual seat in the back and felt himself get lonelier by the second without Phil's presence. Considering this, he silently copied down his homework that was written on the board. Just then, Dan realized what he was writing. _Create a project with a partner about lizards and what environment they live in_. At the word 'partner' Dan froze, then leaned on the back of his chair in disbelief.

Mrs. Valerie, his science teacher, walked to the board and the whole class said, "Good morning, Ms. Valerie." Ms. Valerie, although in her late 60s, was due to retire soon and, according to experiences Dan had, was a very mean woman who never smiled and graded really hard on her students. Dan thought on how "lucky" he was to have such a teacher who was so difficult and sighed.

"Mr. Howell?" Mrs. Valerie's cold voice rang throughout the room. Dan sat straight up and tried his best to look like he was listening.

"Repeat what I just said."

Dan started to sweat. "I-I'm sorry, I wasn't really-"

"Paying attention, I expect. Well, Mr. Howell, you can use any other help from another student who was _actually_ listening." Dan looked around desperately to see no one at his rescue. Dan held his gaze to the floor.

"Ms. Scott." Mrs. Valerie slammed her whiteboard eraser on her desk, scaring the lights out of Teresa. She was busy doing her makeup but now she sat attentively, failing to hide her makeup. "Yes?" she asked feebly.

Mrs. Valerie stared hard down at Teresa.

"Excuse me, but this is _not_ a makeup class. The only 'makeup' we do here is make up assignments that have been received zero credit. Unless if that is what you want on this project, I do hope I'll never see you do that again." Teresa was still as a statue and trembled as she slid her makeup into her bag.

"Does anyone _else_ know?" She was greeted with silence. Then, she whipped around.

"Well." Mrs. Valerie walked to the front of the class. "Mr. Howell won't be getting any detention since not even the _class_ doesn't seem to be listening!" Dan swore her shrill voice shook the ground beneath him. Mrs. Valerie fixed her glasses and pointed at the board.

"As you may have noticed your project is not individual work, but a partner completion. We have observed lizards and how they interact with the environment for a while and it's about time you showed me how much you paid attention. I want to see all your work done by Friday with all the requirements it needs. You can be creative with your project; as long as our five senses can be used to view your project, it is good. Highest score is 100, and there are possible extra credit points if it's original and creative. Any questions?"

A hand shot up. "Can we choose partners that aren't in this class?" a boy with curly, dark brown hair asked.

"No."

Dan felt the word physically and mentally damage him. Phil had science first as well, but a different teacher. Dan's hopes had been so positive that when he heard Mrs. Valerie's words they came plummeting down. Dan grasped the side of his chair tightly.

"You will have today and tomorrow to choose your partner," Mrs. Valerie continued. "And if anyone breaks the rules...I shall know."

The bell rang, and Dan hastily gathered his things, deep in thought. He felt his classmates shuffle out the room until it was silent.

"Well?" Mrs. Valerie said. Dan snapped back into reality. "Oh...sorry," Dan muttered as he left the room. He had just stepped out when someone rushed to his side.

"Hey, Dan." Dan looked and recognized the curly, dark brown haired boy from his class. Dan's mouth was left open, not knowing what to say.

"It's Junior," he said, and shook hands with Dan. Dan hesitated. He had heard that Junior, although very fun to talk to with a great personality and all, had a thing with collecting things associated with 'luck'.

"Mrs. Valerie really is a pain, isn't she?" Junior said. There was a pause as he waited for Dan to agree. "Yeah," he finally replied. "I don't know why she hates us so much."

Junior scoffed. "That's because she doesn't care about anything except for her pay. Everybody notices that she's a bit nicer after payday." Junior rubbed his thumb against his forefinger and middle finger to imitate money and Dan smiled. "It was a good thing I had my lucky socks on today," Junior said happily. "If I didn't, then Mrs. Valerie would have probably yelled at me like she yelled at Teresa." he started whistling and Dan fell silent.

"I remember last week when she lost it and yelled at me for running through the halls," Junior said. "It was probably because I had one of my lucky socks that day."

Dan paused. "Don't all teachers yell at students that run in the hallway?"

Junior shrugged. "I mean, when you're late to class, you've gotta do _something_ about it." Dan nodded, putting his hands inside his pockets.

"What happened that day was that I couldn't find my other sock and I needed to hurry, or else I would've been late. I thought I'd lost the other half but-you won't _believe_ this-it was on the side of my bed the whole time! I remember my face when I found it, I was so disappointed at myself but _really_ happy..."

The sound of Junior's ecstatic voice droned on and on and Dan found himself not paying attention to him at all. It was only when Junior had called his name that Dan focused back into the conversation.

"Dan? Oh buddy, I lost you there! I was so busy talking about my lost-but-now-found sock and almost forgot why I talked to you in the first place." Dan stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" Junior grinned and fished in his right pocket, pulling out a tie-dye colored eraser.

"It's my lucky eraser!" Junior smiled. "I figured you'd need it so that Mrs. Valerie doesn't yell at you like she always does."

Dan smiled unconvincingly. "Thanks, Junior."

"All you need to do is hold it in your dominant hand all throughout class so that things will go well for you!" Junior wagged his forefinger at Dan. "Make sure it's your dominant hand and that you keep the eraser on your dominant side. Or else it might not work!" Junior slapped Dan on the back, making Dan lightheaded.

"Catch you later!" Junior said as he ran ahead of Dan, whizzing past a teacher that screamed at him to not run in the hallway.

* * *

Dan rubbed his eyes. He had felt himself falling asleep in class but, to Dan's luck, the bell rang for lunchtime. In an instant Dan rushed to grab his things. All the sounds Dan could hear were his footsteps and his rapid breathing. In the brink of time Dan spotted a figure that moved in front of him, but it was too late.

"OW!" two voices yelped. Dan landed on the floor and the person he walked into fell opposite him.

"D...Dan?"

Dan's vision cleared, and he looked up. In front of him was a girl he had accidentally bumped into, but it wasn't a stranger. It was Teresa.

"Oh, I'm so _sorry_!" Teresa dramatically exclaimed, reaching out unexpectedly and dusting off Dan's jacket. "I really didn't mean to, I'm so sorry-"

"Oh no, it was me," Dan said, gently smiling. Teresa's eyes glowed. "You know, Dan, I've been wondering." She leaned against the wall. "For the science project, you and I know that we've been friends since we were kids and all, so it's totally right if you and I could-

"Dan!"

Dan turned around, grateful for the interruption. And to his relief, Phil was walking towards him, his backpack slung over his shoulder and a wide smile on his face. Teresa had her mouth wide open in disbelief and glared at Phil. Dan turned back to her. "Uh, Teresa, is it alright if we can talk about this later?" Teresa's glare disappeared and she batted her eyelashes. "Of course." She walked off and went around the corner.

"What was that all about?" Phil asked over Dan's shoulder.

Dan shook his head. "Let's just go."

The two started walking. Dan slowly felt relief crawling up his spine, overjoyed that Phil had saved him once more. "I could tell she wants to be my partner," Dan said as he kept his gaze at the ground. "She was about to ask me when you walked in."

"Oops, sorry." Phil grinned, a flash of guilt crossing his face.

"Don't be," Dan assured him. "It's totally fine...she usually forgives me in a few seconds." Phil frowned. "It was that girl from yesterday, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Her name's Teresa. Teresa Scott."

"Oh...I've heard that name before. I heard she wasn't a very nice person." Phil opened a bag of chips and popped one into his mouth, then handed the bag over to Dan.

"What-Teresa? She's pretty nice to _me_." Dan ate a few chips and munched on them silently. "It's probably because we've known each other since we were kids." Phil stared at Dan, annoyed by this.

"No, it's because she _loves_ you, Dan. I see her when you're not looking, she's got these 'love eyes' or something." Dan shrugged.

"Whatever. But for the science project I really wanted to do it with you." With this, Phil nudged Dan with his elbow, a little bit too hard. "Aw, thanks!"

Dan grinned whilst rubbing his ribcage, and the rest of the day felt like a breeze to him. When he had finally focused into reality he was finishing up his last sentence for his essay. The final bell of the day rang and Dan was caught in a flurry of his classmates as they piled over each other to hand in their work.

"Place your assignments on my desk!" his language arts teacher exclaimed as he erased the lesson that was written on the board.

Phil texted Dan in a rush, apologizing that they couldn't walk together and Dan, alone, walked back to his dormitory. He kicked off his shoes and grabbed a bowl of cereal to munch on, then headed to his room.

Dan casually entered, throwing his jacket on some hangers behind his door and fixing one of his posters that had peeled at the corners. His room was a bit messier than Phil's but the two were close in comparison. Awards coated with dust hung against Dan's wall and a small desk was placed next to a bed with black bedsheets. The walls that surrounded him were gray, and the desk faced a window that overlooked the block that Dan usually walked along to school.

Exhausted, Dan placed his schoolbag next to his bed and sat on the desk chair, putting all his supplies out and bit into his cereal, reflecting on today.

 _If a miracle needs to happen, it should happen now,_ Dan thought miserably as he began his homework.

He had thought of calling Phil and conversing with him, but Dan felt that it wasn't the right time. But he longed for Phil's presence-a phone call or text would be perfectly fine right now-

DIING!

Dan's phone rang. Dan stared at his phone in disbelief. It had seemed that Phil was thinking the same.

"Hello?" Dan answered the call.

No one answered.

"Uh, Phil?" he asked. "Are you there-"

"BOO."

Dan blinked. "Why, hello."

He heard Phil giggle. "Did I scare you?"

"Did you scare _me_?" Dan repeated. "No, not at all."

"You weren't scared? At _all_?" Dan laughed at the sound of Phil in disbelief.

"Just so you know, I don't get that scared easily," he told him.

Phil laughed. "We'll see about that."

"So," Dan started while writing something down, "what'd you call me for?" There was a pause. "Nothing in particular," Phil said. "Just wanted to chat. I'm already done with homework and I have nothing to do. It's because I'm gonna..." Phil broke off, and Dan waited for Phil to continue. But there was no sound.

"You're going to...?" Dan raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, never mind I said that," Phil said. "I just don't have anymore things to do and it's so boring here. It's much more fun when you're with me." Dan smiled, his heart warmed.

"Thanks, bud." Dan said in a joking tone. Dan heard Phil sigh, and silence took over the both of them.

Dan continued to write his homework and rested his elbow on the table, thinking.

CRASH!

Dan jumped up, nearly falling off his chair, and seized his phone. "Phil?" he said. No answer.

"Phil!" Dan exclaimed, frantic. "Are you alright?" There came a soft groan, which escalated into a soft chuckle.

"That was the stupidest thing I've ever done!" Dan gazed at his phone screen, confused. "Come again?" He heard Phil's laugh become louder. "Phil!" Dan said, his eyes wide, "what happened?"

"I stretched and hit my glass of water," Phil said, gasping for air. Dan frowned. "Okay...but are you good?" Dan asked. "You're not hurt?"

Phil scoffed. "You sound like my mother! And yeah, I'm great." Dan heard rustling. "It's kind of all over the floor now," Phil laughed slightly to sound as if everything was okay, and Dan sighed.

"You are the _clumsiest_ person that ever existed in the universe," Dan shook his head.

"But hey, at least I actually scared you!" Phil teased Dan. "You said that it was difficult to frighten you but that was pretty easy to me."

"Shut up," Dan muttered, and Phil cackled.

* * *

It was now time to sleep and the friends said goodnight to each other. Both were getting really tired, and Dan's mind felt fuzzy.

"Goodnight Dan," Phil yawned loudly.

"Goodnight Phil." Dan rubbed his eyes to help keep him awake for a few seconds, but it didn't help much.

"Youf me gerf hen," Phil mumbled.

"What?" Dan said.

The call was ended accidentally by Phil, and Dan shrugged. He didn't know what Phil said but he got into bed and shut his eyes.

Phil was still holding the phone, thinking that it was still going on.

"I said that you're my best friend," Phil mumbled sleepily and dropped his head on his pillow, sleeping at once.


End file.
